Eternally Entwined (one-shot)
by Chandrakanta
Summary: After being announced as America's longest living married couple, Bella tells her great-granddaughter the story of how she and her husband started their life together. Inspired by the story of John and Ann Betar, but with a modern twist. 2nd place for Best Bella and Best Romance in the FictionPad Olderward/Olderella contest.


This story is my entry to the FictionPad Olderward/Olderella contest, where it placed 2nd for Best Bella and 2nd for Best Romance. Right now this is just a one-shot, but I may eventually extend and rewrite it into a full story. For now, please enjoy!

**Word Count:** 6,127

**Beta/Pre-reader:** LorraineBubbleybearJuillerat

**Disclaimer:** The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

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"Nana?" my great-granddaughter said as she climbed into my lap. I hugged her to me, smelling the sweet scent of her hair.

"Yes, darling?" I inquired.

"Tell me the story," she asked beseechingly, turning her big brown eyes, which so resembled mine, to look into mine.

I was sure I knew exactly what story she wanted to hear, but I clarified with her anyway. "What kind of story?"

"Your story, of course!" She pouted adorably. "The one about you and grandpa."

I nodded. Our family had always loved hearing our story, many of them using it as a source of inspiration in forming and maintaining long-lasting relationships of their own, but since we had been recently interviewed as America's longest living married couple, the story was even more popular now. I didn't mind much, though. I loved reminiscing over my life with Edward, the love of my life. We had had our arguments over the years—still did—but we worked through each and every one, becoming a stronger couple and more in love than ever afterward.

"Get into bed first," I bargained, "then I'll tell you the story."

Larissa eagerly scrambled into bed and I made myself comfortable before beginning my narration.

"I knew your grandpa—Edward—for a couple years before our relationship really began," I started. "He lived across the street from me. He's older than I am, so at first he just watched over me when my dad wasn't around. When I was in high school, he drove me to and from the school. My father left for work far too early, and when Edward offered to drive me instead of having to take a bus, well, there was no way I was going to say no. With the difference in our age, our relationship stayed completely platonic, though we both wanted more, until the day I turned 18. That's the day everything in my life changed."

I stretched and smiled as I awoke, remembering my dream. Most dreams faded immediately upon waking and were nearly impossible to recall, but not this one. Maybe that was because it was a common daydream of mine as well. Remembering what day it was, I smiled even wider. I was now 18 years old, a legal adult, free to make my own way in life.

I knew exactly what, or rather who, I wanted, and I just hoped Edward felt the same. No, I knew he felt the same; he was just being a gentleman by waiting for me to reach this milestone in my life. We were best friends and discussed almost everything with each other, including our mutual feelings that went beyond the level of mere friendship.

He was eight years my senior, but regardless of our age difference, I loved him with all my heart and wanted nothing more than to build a future with him. We had even discussed when to move forward and let those feelings blossom; even though, by law, I had been of the age of consent for two years, around the time we'd first met, Edward felt uncomfortable doing more than minimal cuddling and kissing.

I hopped out of bed, eager to go to his house and see him for longer than the few minutes it took to drive me to school and back. It had been a full week since I'd last had the opportunity to spend time with him, and I missed him terribly. I quickly threw on my clothes—jeans, t-shirt, sweater, and sneakers—before heading downstairs to greet my father.

"Bella," my dad began, "I'm glad I ran into you this morning before I left for work. There's something I need to tell you."

There was something in the tone of his voice that made me wary. I had a feeling that what he was about to say would not be good news and my formerly good mood plummeted. Swallowing hard, I shakily took a seat and waited for him to speak.

His eyes looked everywhere but at me and he took a deep breath before spewing out the words he had to say. "Bella, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I can't afford to support you any longer. You're of legal age now, you aren't in school anymore, and I can't keep you on my insurance or anything. I can barely afford to feed one of us. I've made arrangements for you to be taken care of, though; I've found a husband for you. He has money and will easily be able to take care of you. His name is Jacob Black. He's a lawyer from Bend. I expect you to be dressed in your best this evening by the time I return home. You'll be meeting him tonight."

I was appalled. This was the last thing I expected. It was a nightmare! My dad had basically sold me to the highest bidder, and without even consulting me about it. I couldn't—I _wouldn't_!—marry anyone but Edward!

I couldn't hold my emotions in any longer. "Dad!" I exclaimed furiously. "You don't really expect me to marry some stranger—rich or not—just because you say, do you? This is the 21st century! This kind of thing doesn't happen anymore! I'm 18; you can't make me marry him," I added firmly. "How did you meet him and arrange something like this anyway," I wondered aloud.

During my outburst, my dad just got redder and redder. He controlled his temper, though. "You're right, Bella, I can't make you marry him. I'll give you a choice: you can marry him now and have all your needs and wants taken care of, or you can move out today and figure things out on your own. I made this arrangement for you! You don't need to know how, just why. I'm looking out for your future since I can't take care of you anymore. The choice is yours." With that, he grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the house, slamming the front door behind him.

I heard his car start up and the squeal of tires as he tore out of the driveway. I took several deep, calming breaths, reminding myself about Edward, about our love for each other. I needed to talk to him, now more than ever. I couldn't marry this Jacob Black, a man I'd never even heard of before today, I just couldn't. I only hoped that Edward was ready now rather than later.

Once I felt relaxed enough to remain calm about the situation, I gathered my jacket and left the house, walking across the street to Edward's home. I knocked on the door, then opened it and let myself inside when I heard the faint "come in."

I frowned at all the cardboard boxes I saw stacked in the entryway. This was new; granted, I hadn't been to Edward's house in several days, but I thought he would have said something if he had any big life-changing plans coming up. Continuing further into the house, I navigated my way around even more boxes that seemed to have been completely packed already, taped shut, with writing on them, stacked against the wall. I found Edward in his kitchen with yet more boxes, in the process of packing dishes carefully into them.

"What's going on?" I asked him, looking pointedly at the boxes scattered around the house.

Seeing it was me, he smiled widely and walked over. Taking my face gently into his large hands, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. I swear, each time he touched me was better than the last. We'd always kept our contact reasonably chaste, however, not that I was against more—far from it—but Edward wanted to wait until I was legally an adult. The day was finally here, but now I had more pressing matters to contend with—my father's ultimatum and whatever was going on with Edward right now.

Surprisingly—and also not surprisingly, considering that I was now 18, and Edward knew that—Edward deepened the kiss for the first time. He traced my lips with his tongue and I willingly opened my mouth, inviting him in. This was a first for me and I was more than willing to allow Edward to take the lead. I knew he wasn't a man-whore or anything, but I'd been too afraid to ask him about his past experiences with women. Still, he was twenty-six; I held no illusions regarding the fact that he most likely had at least some experience regarding intimacy with the opposite sex.

I felt his tongue enter my mouth and touch mine. The feeling was exquisite, much better than I had ever imagined it could be. My body tingled and I felt an electric charge at his touch. His tongue explored my mouth a little longer before the need to breathe became too strong and he retreated, leaving a couple more small kisses on my mouth before pulling back and looking in my eyes. We grinned happily at each other and I took a moment to gather my wits before I prompted him for an explanation once again.

He smirked at me. "I'll explain in a minute, but I want to ask you something first." He stepped back an arm's length—his arms, anyway—and looked into my eyes, his forest green eyes reflecting back the love I knew he felt for me. His expression changed to a serious one and he took a deep breath before speaking again. "I love you, Isabella Marie Swan. You're truly my other half and I only feel whole when we're together." He paused, pulling something out of his pocket, then completely shocked me by dropping to one knee. He held out what I now recognized was a black velvet ring box. "Will you marry me, Bella?"

My smile stretched across my face and I nodded vigorously, my vocal chords temporarily paralyzed due to my overwhelming emotions. I came over here after my dad's upsetting announcement this morning, hoping against hope that I could talk Edward into moving our relationship forward as soon as possible, yet he surprised me with a proposal. I was truly without words right now. I just loved this man so much. Now I just needed to talk him into an elopement or something.

Edward returned my smile with one just as wide, his emotions conveyed through his expressive eyes. Edward took my hand into his and placed a kiss on my ring finger before taking the ring out of its box and sliding it on. I took a moment to admire it—it was simple yet beautiful, a twisted white gold band with a large round white diamond set in the center, a smaller round amethyst at the end of one twist, and a tiny round sapphire placed across from the amethyst on the edge of the other twist, tucked in bit closer to the diamond—it was perfect.

"It's beautiful, Edward! Thank you so much," I gushed enthusiastically, unable to hold back the emotions currently overwhelming me any longer.

"You're welcome, my love. I've been waiting for this day to arrive for a long time."

"How long?" I asked coyly, although I was also interested in knowing the answer.

Edward leaned forward, placing his lips against mine in a brief kiss once again. He trailed kisses up my left cheek, to my ear, before whispering, "Years."

I shivered at the promise of what was to come that I heard portrayed in that single word. After a moment, I took a step back, gathering my wits once again. There would be time for that later, the rest of our lives, hopefully. For now, there were more pressing matters we needed to address first.

I turned my head, placing a kiss on his cheek, before pulling away once again. "I'd love nothing more than to continue this, but I think we have some things we need to discuss first."

He nodded in agreement. "You're right, love. Um, well, firstly, I'm—we're—" he looked hopefully at me "—moving." He pointed at the boxes he'd been packing when I'd arrived. "I received a call from my sister a few days ago. My parents were in a car accident. They're fine," he said, noting my look of concern, "in the hospital, but they're expected to recover—but it will be quite some time before they're 100%. I'm going to move back to my house there and help out with the ranch while they're in recovery.

"I know your life is here, but I'm hoping you'll go with me. I was thinking we could go to the courthouse or detour to Las Vegas to get married. We can still have a very nice, classy wedding arranged in a short period of time there if that's what you want. If you want something more, that's fine, too, though," he rushed out, a worried look on his face, "I'm fine with whatever you want."

I kissed him again to stop his rambling. "Simple sounds perfect to me," I told him. I should have known that he'd be ready to elope with me, without my even having to bring up the subject. We were on the same wavelength more often than not. "My life is with you now. I don't have anything to keep me here if you're gone. I know you've been busy packing your belongings all week, but would you mind going back to Charlie's house and helping me pack my stuff? I don't have too much, so it shouldn't take long, but I need to have everything moved out by this afternoon, before my dad comes home."

Edward's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Why do need to be moved out so soon? Not that I mind having you live with me right away." He punctuated the statement by pulling me into his arms and kissing the top of my head.

"My dad surprised me with a _wonderful_ birthday gift this morning," I said sarcastically. "He told me that he can't afford to support me anymore, so he so _generously_ arranged for me to be married to Jacob Black, a lawyer from Bend." Edward's eyes narrowed in anger and his nostrils flared. I wanted to stop to admire him, but kept speaking instead. "After I blew up at him about that, he gave me an ultimatum. I am either to be dressed nicely this evening to meet Jacob, or I'm to be moved out."

"There's no question," Edward growled possessively, "you're _mine_. We'll go over to your father's house now and have you moved out of that place in no time. Don't worry. Come on."

He gently grasped my hand, leading me out of the house. As we reached the foyer, he grabbed ahold of several unused cardboard boxes. He temporarily released my hand so he could open the door before he took hold of me again. I closed his door as we exited the house and made our way across the street.

"I want to ask," Edward started, interrupting my thoughts as we made our way to my former home, "did you want do something simple at the courthouse for our marriage, or do you want something at Las Vegas?"

"How far out of the way is Las Vegas from your family's home?"

"Not very. My family's ranch is in southern California—Norco, to be precise—so Las Vegas can be on the way, depending on the route we take."

"Okay, then let's elope to Vegas," I declared, stopping Edward in his tracks and leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"Sounds wonderful. It's about thirteen hours, or more, to drive that far, so it'll take a couple days to go the distance, unless we really push ourselves and take turns driving."

I frowned. "What about your parents? They're in the hospital and need you there, don't they? It's already been a week. Shouldn't we get a flight instead? You could have your car shipped, couldn't you?"

His brow furrowed in thought. "You're right. I'll have to check into shipping services for the car this evening and I'll look into flights we can take. It will be much faster and easier than a road trip."

I smiled happily. By tomorrow evening, Edward and I could be married and starting our lives together.

The next couple hours were spent packing my meager belongings. Other than my clothing—of which there weren't too many—I had some books, CDs, a few photos, and my school stuff that I wanted to hang on to. It was tedious, but the time passed rather quickly since I was working alongside Edward. Once we were finished packing, we carried the boxes back over to Edward's house.

After setting down the boxes he'd carried, Edward massaged his neck and shoulders a bit, groaning at the sensations, and I followed suit. He glanced at the clock, noting the time.

"How about we head out for lunch?" he asked. "We can take the time to rest some before we work on packing the rest of my shit."

I nodded tiredly. Boy, I was really out of shape. We really hadn't worked that long, but I was exhausted and definitely ready for a break. I was hungry, too. "Sounds good to me," I agreed.

With my agreement, we headed out to Edward's garage and his car that was parked inside. He drove to the local diner and we both ordered burgers, taking the time to relax and enjoy our respite from packing. I noticed Edward's furrowed brow; he seemed disturbed and was thinking hard about something, so I prompted him to share what was troubling him.

"It's," he hesitated before continuing, "it's just that I can't understand why your father did what he did. He claimed to be looking out for you, but to not discuss it with you or give you a choice in the matter? I understand if he's having financial problems that he maybe couldn't support you much anymore, but there are other options out there. Besides me, of course," he added, grinning at me.

I grinned back at him before sighing. "I don't understand, either. I want to believe he has good intentions, but you know the saying, 'the pathway to Hell is paved with good intentions', and I can't help but think that applies here. I was completely blindsided this morning; there was no warning he was even contemplating this, no less had set everything up and put it in motion. I really let him have it earlier, which is when he gave me the ultimatum to either go through with the arrangement or move out immediately."

I shook my head. "Well, there's nothing to be done now. I made my choice, although it was really a no-brainer. I'm just glad you were more than ready for me today. When I first went to your house, I was afraid I'd have to convince you to let me move in before you were ready."

"Silly girl," Edward playfully admonished me, "after all our talks, you should have known better than that. I've been rather impatiently biding my time until you were of legal age."

"My mind knew that," I explained, "but I was still worried. Not much, but still..." I shrugged. "That's all in the past now, and I couldn't be happier about our present and future."

"Speaking of... let's pay for our meal and get back. The sooner we can finish packing, the sooner our future can begin."

I nodded in agreement and Edward left to pay for our lunch. I looked out the window and saw that it currently wasn't raining, so decided to head outside to wait for him at the car. While I was waiting, my dad—no, I was only going to call him by his name now; he betrayed my trust and would need to earn back the right for me to refer to him as my dad—pulled into the diner's parking lot.

Climbing out of his car, he saw me and walked over. "Isabella, what are you doing here?"

I held my head high, looking confidently, perhaps even defiantly, into his brown eyes. "Edward and I came here for a lunch break after moving me out. You don't have to worry; I'm out of the house and am no longer your responsibility."

He gaped at me, clearly shocked. It seemed he'd never contemplated the possibility that I would take him up on the option to move out. Well, I guess turnabout was fair play and the surprise was on him this time, although it shouldn't have truly been a surprise since he gave me the two options.

"Edward?" he asked stupidly.

"Yes, Edward, our neighbor who gives me rides to school. Edward, my fiancé," I explained hotly, angry that he either didn't know or care who Edward is, holding my left hand up to his face so he couldn't miss the ring.

His eyes squinted and mouth tightened momentarily in anger. As he opened his mouth, I spoke before he could. "No, don't start. You gave me two choices this morning: marry some stranger you'd arranged for me or move out of the house. Well, I've moved out. And I just happen to be marrying a man I _do_ know, a man I'm in love with and who's in love with me. I'm also a legal adult now, free to make my own choices in life. This is _my_ choice," I said firmly.

He nodded stoically. "I hope you're happy with _your_ choice." With that, he turned his back to me and walked away, entering the diner shortly thereafter.

It was more than obvious that he believed I was making the wrong choice, but I knew otherwise. I metaphorically washed my hands of him. I'd leave the choice of reconciliation, or not, up to him. If he chose not to reconcile, I would miss him, but I'd rather keep my mostly happy childhood memories of him, rather than have them excessively tainted by his current actions and behavior if they were to continue and I kept in contact with him.

A few moments after Charlie left, Edward exited the diner and came over to the car. "Are you okay? I saw Charlie come into the diner."

I nodded. "I'm fine. He saw me here and came over. I told him I was moved out and that you and I were going to get married. He seemed shocked that I chose to move out and angry that I was marrying you. I wouldn't let him say anything against you—us—though. I kind of went off on him about the choices he gave me, the one I made, and that I'm an adult now. He pretty much left after that."

Edward came over and embraced me. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into my hair.

I shrugged and smiled up at him. "S'Okay. Hopefully he'll get over it eventually and will contact us. But if not, I'm going to remember him the way he was before today; he wasn't necessarily around much, but he was always good to me before."

He nodded and hugged me again before making his way back around the car and getting in. We made our back to Edward's house and finished packing the rest of his belongings. I managed better than I did with packing my own belongings; I guessed the short rest and full meal had helped to energize me.

After he finished taping up the last box, Edward checked his watch and turned to me. "Are you ready to leave, Bella?" he asked, arching an eyebrow questioningly.

I gaped at him for a moment, completely flummoxed. I never thought we'd leave today. "Now? I thought tomorrow..."

Edward shook his head no. "I called the airlines earlier, after our discussion, and was able to arrange a flight to Vegas for us this evening. It should leave in just a few hours. I've also already arranged a wedding package for us for tomorrow afternoon."

I smiled widely, giddy for our future to begin, and threw myself into Edward's arms. "Yes!" I exclaimed. "I'm ready, we're ready. Right?"

I paused briefly, thinking of something. "What about our luggage? We already packed everything and I don't have a suitcase."

"Don't worry, my love. My home in Norco is stocked well enough until the boxes arrive. As for our brief stay in Las Vegas, I thought we could stop at a store before our flight to pick up a few necessities."

I nodded and smiled up at him. "I'm ready when you are," I affirmed.

Edward checked his watch again. "I'm happy to say I timed this really well. The movers should be here any minute. Once they're done loading everything, we're free to leave."

A few minutes later, the moving trucks arrived. I sat in Edward's living room as he spoke to the movers and then began assisting them in moving and loading the furniture and boxes. Quicker than I expected, everything was loaded and the movers drove away. After one final walk through the house, we left and locked it up.

With one last look at my childhood home—Charlie's car was still gone—we drove away. After a few minutes on the road, I cleared my throat and asked a question I'd been wondering for a long time, but had never asked before. "Um, Edward, what...what brought you here to Sisters, Oregon? I've never asked before. I know your family lives in California and you're a writer, but you can do that anywhere. Sisters is tiny; it doesn't seem like a place to move to..." I trailed off, flushing in embarrassment.

Edward smiled at me before turning his attention back to the road. "My father is a veterinarian, but my parents' side business/hobby is horse breeding. They're both very passionate about the breed of horse they're involved with. I grew up with horses and love them, too, although I'm not quite as involved with them as some other members of the family. You're right; I can write anywhere. I came here to work with the breed association.

"The American affiliate is located here in Sisters, at least for now. There's talk of them relocating to Lexington, Kentucky, to the region around the Kentucky Horse Park and International Museum of the Horse, so I don't think they'll be remaining here too much longer. Anyway, over the past couple years, I've helped with developing their magazine, writing a few articles for them in addition to my novels; I've also been helping out with marketing and anything else I can help with. Initially, I was only going to be here for a short time, but after I met you... well, I just couldn't leave after I got to know you."

I smiled at his last confession. "Horses, huh? They're beautiful animals. I don't know much about them except what I've read or seen on TV. They're so big, it's a little intimidating."

"I grew up on the back of a horse. I can help you if you want. A little fear is healthy, though. It means you won't do anything stupid that'll get you hurt. No pressure, though. Just because they're a big part of the family, don't feel obligated to do anything you don't want to."

"Thanks, Edward. How about we take it a step at a time. Let me see one up close and see where it goes from there."

He nodded in agreement and pulled my hand up to his lips, kissing the back of my knuckles. Tingles shot through from my hand and up my arm, jump-starting my heart, which started beating faster. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down. This was not the time nor place to act on my hormones.

The rest of our half-hour trip to Redmond was a combination of comfortable silence and small talk. We stopped at a department store first to pick up some clothes, toiletries, and duffel bags before completing our journey to the Redmond Municipal Airport. We made our way through the airport without incident and boarded our plane.

This was my first time on a plane and I was a bit nervous yet excited. Thankfully this one would be short. Our flight to Portland would last approximately 40 minutes, then we would board a non-stop flight from PDX to Las Vegas, which would be longer, but still not too bad at around four hours.

Both flights were non-eventful, even boring. I was glad for the gum that Edward remembered and gave me when the plane reached a high altitude, though. By the time we arrived in Las Vegas and went to our hotel, we were both exhausted. I wanted to take advantage of our first time in a bed together, and I knew Edward did, too, but we were both too tired to do more than hold each other and fall asleep. Truthfully, I was happy with just that, finally being able to hold him close, and be held in return, all night long. It was the best night's sleep I could remember having for quite some time.

When I awoke in the morning, Edward was already out of bed and I heard the shower running. I took a few minutes to fully wake up and just bask in the knowledge of where my life was headed. The only dark blotch in my life was from Charlie's attitude, but like I told Edward, I was still hopeful that he'd come around someday.

During my musings, Edward came out of the bathroom, fully dressed already. He walked over to the bed and kissed my forehead. "Good morning, my love. I hope you slept well."

"Very well. Although I have to admit I am disappointed that you're already up and dressed for the day." I frowned at his attire to illustrate my words.

He laughed, smiling widely at me. "There will be time for that later, my dear. We have the rest of our lives, and tonight is our wedding night." He grinned happily at me. "For now, why don't you get dressed? We'll go get some breakfast and stop to get our marriage license, then return here. A selection of dresses should be available for you to choose from then." He smirked then, like he had a secret joke he wasn't ready to share. "I've also arranged for someone to assist with hair and makeup."

I smiled back at him, wondering what was so funny about a makeup artist/stylist, but ignored it for now. I could be patient and find out the big secret this afternoon. I climbed out of bed, then walked over and embraced him. "I can't wait," I purred seductively in his ear. More seriously, I added, "I can't wait to start our lives together, Edward."

"Me, too, Bella." He kissed me chastely, ignoring my pout at the simple kiss, and left the room.

After eating our breakfast and getting our marriage license we returned to the hotel. A petite dark-haired woman came running out as soon as she spotted Edward and I. "Edward!" she shrieked happily. She threw her arms around him enthusiastically as soon as she reached us.

Pulling away from her, Edward turned to me. "Bella, I'd like to introduce you to my little sister, Alice. I called her yesterday to share our plans. She insisted on being here with us today. She and her husband will be our witnesses and Alice will also help you with your hair and makeup. She thinks she's an expert in such things."

I smiled at Alice, understanding Edward's secret joke now. His sister was my makeup artist/stylist. I extended my hand to hers in greeting. "It's wonderful to meet you, Alice," I said politely.

Alice ignored my hand and pulled me in for a hug instead. "I'm so happy to meet you, my sister," Alice whispered in my pulled away and smiled at me. "Come on. Let's go inside and get you ready for your wedding."

She tugged on my hand and we walked into the hotel. Inside, I was introduced to Alice's husband, Jasper. He was a tall handsome man with short dark-blond hair and blue eyes. We all went back to our rooms. Jasper and Edward stayed in the sitting room, where Edward's suit was laid out for him, while Alice and I went into the bedroom.

Several dresses were available for me to choose from. I was a simple girl, and I didn't have much difficulty in choosing what I felt was a wonderful dress. It was simple, elegant, and beautiful. It was ivory white with a floor-length A-line skirt, square neckline, and short lace sleeves that barely went past the shoulders. To keep the dress from being too plain, on the front of the dress there was beautiful lacy beadwork across the bodice that continued about three-quarters of the length down the left side.

After the dress was selected, I was seated and Alice started working on my face and hair. While I was getting ready, Jasper and Edward left for the chapel. A limousine would be coming to the hotel to bring me and Alice to the chapel. According to Edward, the limo was part of the wedding package he'd purchased yesterday.

Before I knew it, the time had come. Alice and I entered the limo—another first experience for me—and we were chauffeured to the A Special Memory Wedding Chapel. A bouquet of a dozen white and red silk roses awaited me in the limo; I knew Edward also had a matching boutonniere. I was excited, yet remained calm. I wouldn't be one of those blubbery, overly-emotional girls in movies or cheesy romance novels.

Alice and I entered the chapel. My eyes widened briefly as I caught sight of Edward waiting for me in front of the minister—a real minister, not some cheesy Elvis impersonator, thank God! My eyes were completely focused on him, but I still saw as Alice joined her husband out of my peripheral vision.

I walked down the aisle, my gait steady, until I reached Edward. He held his hand out to my, a smile on his face. I could see the anticipation in his eyes that I'm sure was reflected in mine, too. I placed my hand in his and we both turned to face the minister.

The vows were the traditional ones and the wedding also included a beautiful candlelight ceremony. Afterward, we had our photos taken by a professional photographer, and there was even a brief reception, complete with glasses of champagne. I was a little nervous, since I was still underage for alcohol, but I figured one glass wouldn't be a problem and toasted my future with my husband.

My husband! I was now married to Edward, the love of my life. I couldn't see the future, but I knew that Edward and I had a love that would survive any hardship and would last for the rest of our lives.

"What happened after that is not fit for a child's ears," I said, "but that's how your grandpa's and my life together started."

Not hearing a response, I looked down at the bed to find Larissa sound asleep. I stood, smiling down at her as I pulled the blankets up her shoulders. After turning down the lights, I left the child's bedroom and walked to my own.

Entering my room, I saw Edward sitting in bed waiting for me. I recalled the thoughts I'd had after our wedding. I was right. We had a powerful love that helped us through our lives together. It hadn't always been easy, we hadn't always agreed with each other, but we worked through every hardship and disagreement to become even closer than we had been before.

I joined Edward in our bed and kissed his lips. Even after over eighty years of marriage, I didn't like to go too long without feeling his lips on mine. He returned my kiss before he leaned over and switched off the lamp. We snuggled together, not wanting to be separated, even in sleep.

With Edward being older than me, I worried that one day we would be separated, but he remained active, healthy, strong. Still, even with the medical advancements that had been made, I knew the day would come. When that happened, I was sure our separation wouldn't last long. Our lives and souls were eternally entwined, and not even death could separate us for long. As I fell asleep that night, my mind still on the beginning of our story, I began dreaming of our lives together.

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Pictures and links to articles about John and Ann Betar can be found on FictionPad, TWCS, and AO3. See my profile for links to my accounts on those sites.


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